Bearded Tits - natural acrobats

With the weather forecast deteriorating I decided to grab a couple of hours at Minsmere today. It was clearly not a day for too many sightings. Started in Bittern Hide but all was very quiet so walked back to the crossroads and headed along by the Wildlife Lookout.

With work in progress on the new fencing the Scrape is empty of birds at the moment but I'd heard that Bearded Tits had been seen in the reeds on the other side of the path. Sure enough I soon spotted 4 or 5 birds flitting about.

I was joined by a fellow birder from Liverpool who was keen to try and get some photos with a much better camera than mine. It really wasn't good conditions for photography. Light levels were very low and the wind had picked up quite a bit. The poor birds were being flung about all over the place and kept whizzing through the frame so apologies for the ropey quality of the photo. My companion has promised to email some of his much better shots!

Spent at least half an hour watching a pair feeding on the reed tops about 2 metres off the path. The best part was when a couple came along and we pointed the birds out to them. Their delight was evident. In 20 years of birding at Minsmere they had NEVER seen a Bearded Tit! They were so happy and said they would be opening the champagne tonight! Made my day too.